Fragment of a Votive Plaque with Military Saint

Votive Plaque with Military Saint
11th or 12th c.
Bronze
(70.14)

The identity of the saint shown here can only be suggested, since military saints are numerous in the Eastern Church. (The inscription identifies the saint who stood on the right side of the plaque as St. Demetrius; only his right arm is now preserved.) Two saints, besides St. Demetrius, are commonly represented with a drawn sword, St. Michael and St. George. Since St. Demetrius is often associated with St. George, perhaps this saint should be identified as the latter. The plaque may have come from a casket or from a type of triptych where the central panel served as a reliquary, while the side panels contained figures. Stylistically the plaque belongs with provincial works of the eleventh or twelfth century.

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